


Second Fourth

by esama



Category: Final Fantasy VII, Naruto
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, BAMF Vincent Valentine, Blood and Gore, Crossover, Gen, Out of Character Cloud Strife, Over Powered Cloud Strife, Over Powered Vincent Valentine, kind of crack
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-01
Updated: 2017-05-18
Packaged: 2018-06-05 16:28:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 18,089
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6712516
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/esama/pseuds/esama
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>During his invasion of Konoha, Orochimaru takes his chance to try and resurrect the Fourth Hokage.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Unbetaed because I'm lazy.  
> Unrealistic because I don't care.

Orochimaru chuckles quietly to himself, watching from the side as the First, the Second and the Third fought.

The rooftop has been turned into a true battlefield, the sort ninja rarely fought in anymore, where every square centimetre was turned into a weapon, every element was utilised. A war zone of _old bygone days_. Quite literally so. The First Hokage's Mokuton has overwhelming control over the area, covering it in winding trees, and the Hokages fight in their midst with powers most ninja could only dream of possessing, abilities mostly lost now.

It is beautiful. His invasion is _beautiful_ and it is going to succeed. Here and now, no matter what Sarutobi thinks he can do, no matter what he'd plan, it will succeed.

By now, Sarutobi must've realised that he can't destroy the Edo Tensei that easily – he would have resort to his trump card, the _Fourth's_ trump card, and that would kill him. What he doesn't know, however, is that Orochimaru valued his tools over the deaths of his enemies – and the First and Second are far too important for him to let the Third just seal their souls away.

Smiling, Orochimaru starts making seals again for the third summon – the one Sarutobi had stopped before. Now, with his dear old Sensei so fully occupied, he can finish it in peace, and bring this reunion properly into fruition. After all, Sarutobi had only stopped the summoning – he had not destroyed it.

The sacrifice is still there, prepped and waiting to be used.

 _Tiger – Snake – Dog – Dragon_ …

It takes lot of chakra, of course, but he'd prepared for that – and thanks to his newest body, he has enough to spare. Clapping his hands together, Orochimaru kneels slowly and presses his palms onto the broken roof tiles and watches with satisfaction as the summoning begins, the space before him opening and –

And then something goes horribly wrong.

* * *

 

Unbeknownst to Orochimaru, Namikaze Minato's soul cannot be summoned with the Impure World Resurrection technique. His soul does not reside the Pure World and never had – his soul is bound within the Shinigami and has been ever since Kyubi had attacked Konoha, and the Fourth Hokage had bound it within his own son. The Edo Tensei cannot recall what _isn't_ _there_.

But it is a powerful technique, and Orochimaru had perfected it to a terrible point. It does not fail easily, and when there is no corresponding soul to draw from the Pure World, it reaches out and beyond it, further and further, until it finds something that _does_ correspond with the demands of the summoning.

Problem is, that soul did not belong to someone already dead.

* * *

 

There is an explosion that washes through the entire enclosed area that encompassed the rooftop. Hiruzen flips through the air and lands on the rooftop, now crumbling under his feet and under the roots of the enormous trees the poor resurrected Hashirama had grown.

"Where?" Hiruzen asks sharply, looking around quickly. He hadn't caused the explosion, and Tobirama had been within his sight – Hashirama, then? No, Hashirama is to the left of him, standing on a tree branch, having stopped to assess the situation same as him. If it is none of the other Hokages then –

Orochimaru.

Ducking past Tobirama's sharp attack, Hiruzen hurries past the trees to where he'd seen Orochimaru the last, to see what he is doing now, what else he's cooked up. There, in the lone corner of the barrier which isn't completely covered in twisting trees, there is a crater, and around it debris strewn anywhere. And there, at the centre of it, a coffin.

It is completely shattered, and something is sparking with energy amidst the pieces, something _unnatural_.

"Orochimaru!" Hiruzen shouts, furious. "Orochimaru, you _fool_! What did you do – where are you?"

He finds Orochimaru lying slumped against the trees, thrown back by the explosion, watching with shocked, fascinated eyes as the reality tears open with a terrible noise. "What is that?" the Snake Sannin asks, breathless with wonder.

"That is your _folly_ ," Hiruzen snarls. "You think you can tamper with the layers of reality and universe and they will bend to you, malleable as clay? Fool of a boy – Minato isn't in a place you can summon him from, he is in the belly of the Shinigami. And in trying to resurrect him –"

There is another explosion, a concussion wave of terrible energy that radiates from the tear in reality, shattering the rooftop further. Hashirama and Tobirama are there again, watching, preparing for further battle but not attacking yet – carefully cautious and wary even in throes of Orochimaru's mind control.

"What is going to come through?" Orochimaru asks, smiling, wide and hungry. "What did I summon?"

Hiruzen doesn't answer, instead he begins running through seals, wildly thinking – what can contain it? He has barriers after barriers, he knows gates, shields, seals, he can contain most things if only he has the time and the chakra – but what can contain a tear in the very fabric of reality, and whatever horrors that might spill out of it?

"No, you don't -!" Orochimaru snarls and comes at him before he can finish the hand seals – and then, the First and the Second are in motion again, rushing at Hiruzen, stopping him from finishing. Escaping them is all Hiruzen can do, and so the reality splits, unhindered.

The Edo Tensei runs it's course, finishes it's bastard summoning, and as the chakra wears out tear closes, leaving behind the summoned being, standing in the shards of what could have been the Coffin of the Fourth Hokage, but isn't.

And yet -

Hiruzen jumps out of Hashirama's reach and past Tobirama's attack, and stares, shocked, surprised – and almost reluctantly fascinated. There are millions of horrors Edo Tensei could unleash when improperly used – that is why the Second had originally abandoned the research, he'd touched on those unspeakable horrors of the multiverse. But Orochimaru had improved on it. Perfected it, he said.

Of course, the Edo Tensei would have tried to reach for Minato and as he is inaccessible, it would have gone for something similar enough.

Or, for something _exactly alike_.

* * *

 

Orochimaru leaves Sarutobi to the First and Second Hokages and hurries for the crater left behind by the flawed Edo Tensei. Flawed but, oh, if this is what he thinks he is, if he'd summoned what he though he had, then it is hundred times more successful than anything he could've imagined.

He had not summoned Namikaze Minato, no, that is plain enough, and of course Sensei is right, as always – the Fourth's soul is sealed elsewhere, Orochimaru was stupid to not have considered it before. But Edo Tensei is _perfect_ and this is the proof of it – the man standing in the wake of the summoning os the proof.

That spiky golden hair, the slight but firm stature, that face, those bright blue eyes – the obvious power residing in that slight frame… it is proof of his genius, proof of his jutsu's power.

He had summoned a _living_ Namikaze Minato. Unintentionally, perhaps, but _successfully_. And now…

Grinning gleefully, Orochimaru gets his kunai ready – it isn't designed for a living subject, but he can work with it, oh yes indeed, all he needs to get it in and add couple seals on top of it, and then he will have a Living Fourth Hokage at his disposal, at the end of a perfect leash – and forget the Uchiha, forget Itachi, forget _Madara_ , because he would have the _Yellow Flash himself_ and nothing could again stand in his way.

The man, the beautiful living weapon golden and bright, wavers where he stands, confused and bewildered and unguarded and all Orochimaru has to do is reach him. He is close now, ready to insert the kunai to his new weapon's brain and –

And then the man moves and the kunai misses.

* * *

 

Hiruzen watches, his breath leaving his lungs in explosive relieved sigh, as the mirror reflection of Namikaze Minato leans his head aside just enough for Orochimaru to miss, for the kunai to go past his ear. Then, in same smooth motion, the man twists around and unceremoniously elbows Orochimaru in the face.

The crunch of bone is loud as Orochimaru's nose is broken and he is thrown back by the blow. The reflection of Minato doesn't let him fall far, however, grabbing Orochimaru by the hand holding the kunai and twisting until the weapon falls, catching it from the air and then turning it on it's owner, one fluid motion.

Orochimaru is too good a fighter to be caught so off guard, however, and brings his sword to meet the blade before it can reach his gut. "Good, good!" Orochimaru breathes. "You're just as strong as your other self!"

"What the fuck?" the blond man answers, twisting Orochimaru's wrist in his hand. "Who are you? Where am I?"

"You're in my world and you're _mine_!" Orochimaru says, grinning widely.

The blond man blinks at that and then leans in suddenly, almost close enough to slam his forehead against Orochimaru's. He stares at his eyes, and Hiruzen could swear he can see his blue eyes glow in the brief shadow much taller Orochimaru casts on him.

"Sephiroth?" the blond man mutters, more to himself than to Orochimaru.

"Yes!" Orochimaru lies quickly. "Yes, _exactly_ , I am Sephiroth and you are –"

The blond man kicks him without another word – a powerful roundhouse kick that sends Orochimaru flying. It isn't much of an attack – Orochimaru flips back to his feet in mid air, gleefully cackling all the while, but judging by the looks of the blond man he'd only wanted the space.

Then Hashirama is there, coming at Hiruzen, and he doesn't have the time to stand around watching.

* * *

 

Cloud stares at the bastard standing few meters from him. Pale, black haired – yellow eyed. There is a lot of Sephiroth in him, but he isn't him – no, the feeling is all wrong. A clone, another fucking clone? How many of those damn things are there?

Well, no matter. He'd killed the previous ones, he'll kill this one too.

As the Sephiroth-clone cackles, Cloud reaches back and grabs the handle of his fusion sword, detaching it from it's magnetic sheath and bringing it forth, aiming the blade at the clone. Whatever's going on here, at least he has his tools with him, he thinks, shifting his grip slightly.

"Ah, a swordsman!" the clone says, sounding absolutely delighted, the fucker, and holds out his own sword. It is a short katana, rather than the odachi Sephiroth favours, but the clones all have their own preferences when it came to weapons. "Excellent – I prefer swords myself! This won't take long."

Cloud says nothing, concentrating instead onto the Command Master Materia that resides at his sword's core. The Scan activates without a hitch and he reads the guy silently.

[Orochimaru, Level 79, HP 6475/8452, MP 1056/3456]

High… but not high _enough_.

"No," Cloud says, and spins his sword in his hand to get it into better position before taking it in two handed grip. "This won't take long at all."

* * *

 

Outside the crumbling barrier, the ANBU and the Sound Four watch with wide eyes as Orochimaru meets swords with the blond swordsman. Wielding a blade that is bigger than he is, bigger than the famed swords of the Kiri's Seven Swordsman, by any reason the blond swordsman should be at disadvantage. But he isn't.

He is unnaturally fast, and uses the sword as if it weighs nothing, matching Orochimaru blow by elegant blow with terrible power that sends sparks flying and makes the barrier ring with the clatter of blades meeting. The surprising agility of his colossal sword and the speed added with it's greater reach puts Orochimaru first at disadvantage – until he is forced to extend the Sword of Kusanagi to match the blond man's colossal sword for length.

"What?" Orochimaru asks, terribly amused. "Did you think your reach would give you an advantage? Foolish boy."

"That's a neat trick," the blond man says, smiling and holding his sword in front of him, a basic front guard position. "Wanna see mine?"

With flick of his wrist he separates his sword into pieces, one only slightly shorter than the other. Then, with his two still entirely too large blades, he rushes forward again and again blades crash, only now the pattern is unbalanced – two blades against one, and it is quickly obvious the blond man is well practised in two handed swordsmanship.

"A master swordsman, then. Good, very _good_ ," Orochimaru leers as their blades met. "How's your jutsu, boy?"

"How's my _what_?"

Orochimaru grins wider and then makes couple of one handed seals. "Katon, Goukakyuu no Jutsu!"

The blond man doesn't even have the time to duck.

* * *

 

Cloud shuts his eyes quickly as his face is suddenly full of flame. It makes a dent on his HP, shaving a bit off the top as it washed over him… but not by much. [9368/9999] was hardly noteworthy drop.

The Sephiroth clone stops and stares at him with surprise as Cloud stands there, smoking slightly but otherwise pretty much unharmed. Cloud offers him a smile. "You're going to need hotter flame than that," he says. "And now's my turn," he adds, and wordlessly casts Fire 3 on the clone.

Turned out, the guy is a little less fireproof than he was. That's what you get, for not equipping proper guard. Quickly the man flips past him and out of the firing range – or that is what the guy probably thinks anyway, since he stops there instead of keeping on moving. Inexperienced with magic Cloud thinks almost curiously, and swings the sword with the First Sword at it's core, sending another Fire 3 after the guy.

The Sephiroth clone makes some weird hand motions again and then there is barrier made of dirt in between them, taking the fire damage.

"So you know some jutsu," the clone says, now a little less amused and little more serious. "How do you do with summoning?"

Cloud grins like a lunatic. "Oh, _try me_ ," he breathes.

Apparently, the clone is an idiot – because he _does_.

* * *

 

The rooftop shudders. Hiruzen has to hurry up a tree trunk, not just to get away from his predecessors, but because the weight is finally starting to do it's ultimate damage. The rooftop groans underneath and then starts to give away, crumbling in on itself as the supports below start giving away. Around them the barrier, already stretched to the point of strain, shatters and finally breaks.

"Give aid to the Hokage!" someone shouts, and Hiruzen can feel his loyal ANBU and guards rushing into his aid, coming between him and the resurrected First and Second Hokages, suicidally standing in defence of their commander.

"Get away, you fools, you're no match for them –" Hiruzen snaps and then stops to stare at what he can just barely see past through the trees. All around them there is a wall of dark purple, that moves and lives and circles the entire building, enormous and terrible.

So, that is why the barrier broke.

Orochimaru had summoned Manda.

Shit.

* * *

 

Cloud jumps up and away from the Giant Ass Snake, running up a tree trunk and to it's topmost branches. The summon is huge, definitely from the bigger end of summons – hundreds and hundreds of meters long, easily. And judging by the looks of it, the Sephiroth clone has easy command over the thing – he is standing on the snake's _head_ now.

"Orochimaru," the snake grumbles. "What pathetic battle did you summon me into this time?"

"Not quite so pathetic, Manda, my friend," the Sephiroth clone says, grinning down at Cloud from top of the snake. "I will get you all the sacrifices you wish, and more, just get him for me."

The snake turns to Cloud, long tongue peeking out. "He smells like _acid_ ," the snake hisses.

"All the more reason to get him – and to _dissect him_ ," the Sephiroth clone – Orochimaru, whichever – cackles and looks at Cloud. "How do you like my friend, swordsman?! Magnificent, isn't he? The greatest of all snakes, the King of Serpents, Manda, the Strongest of the All Colossal Summons!"

Cloud grins a little and puts his sword back together, activating the Master Summon Materia at it's core. "I've seen bigger," he says over the now combined blade and then aims it at the sky.

Moment later, a beam of pure white destruction _pours_ down from the sky, as Bahamut Zero breathes it's Tera Flame down from the orbit and tears the snake summon apart.

* * *

 

Without warning, without any sort of visible _reason_ , Orochimaru falls down in a heap in the midst of Manda's remains, almost as broken as the summon. "What?" he asks, blinded by the light and horrified, trying to figure out what just happened. One moment he was standing on top of Manda's head, at the peak of power – and next moment, Manda is gone, blown away in wake of… of… what?

"What the _hell was that_? What just –"

"Bahamut Zero," the reflection of the Fourth Hokage says, walking towards him almost at a leisurely pace with his colossal sword resting idly on his shoulder. "My summon. One of them, anyway. Unfortunately he's bit too big to be summoned on a planet – he would mess this whole city up if I summoned him here. He can only be summoned on to orbit, so you can't see him. But you can see what he does," he says and leans down a little, smiling at him. "So. How do you like _my_ friend, clone?"

"I'm no one's clone," Orochimaru spits and tries to get up, tries to at least _sit_ – but there isn't enough of him left for proper movement. It hurts, everything is fire, everything is _agony_ and yet he can't help but be in desperately jealous _awe_ of the man. Reflection of Namikaze Minato or not – the man is even greater than he could've hoped. His powers are different, strange, and oh so strong.

His Sound Four are approaching fast – moment and they'd be there to get him, to take him to safety. Damn it all, but it is necessary. After that attack – Bahamut Zero, summoned to planetary _orbit_ , he'd remember that – there is no way he can keep on fighting. But damn, how he yearns.

"You'll be mine," Orochimaru swears, reaching for the Sword of Kusanagi with his lone functional hand. "You just wait – I will have you. I will _possess_ you." And with him, with his body, with his strength… the world would be his, immortality would be his. _Power_ would be his.

"You even talk like him," the reflection of Namikaze says with a shake of his head and lifts his sword, one handed, and holds it up. "I don't know how much of _him_ you have in you, but it's far too much. Go back to the Lifestream and _stay there_."

"NO!" Jirobo shouts and then there is a whir in the air just before Kidomaru's arrow impacts against the Reflection's sword and shatters. The blond sword man looks away, and there are Tayuya and Sakon and Ukon, taking Orochimaru by the arms, lifting him up.

"Have fun with the Hokages," Orochimaru breathes sarcastically through bloodied teeth and there is an explosion before his Sound Four carry him hurriedly away.

* * *

 

Cloud waves a hand over his face, trying to get rid of the smoke. The clone has escaped and Cloud is about to go after him, to finish him off before he has the chance to spread the Genome – _or worse_ – when someone attacks him from the behind. Whirling, Cloud catches the blow with the flat of his sword and meets the eyes of his attacker over the sharp edge.

"You'd be one of the Hokages then?" he asks from the man with black hair and black sclera in his eyes, who looks… kind of dead. "You're with the clone, then?"

"They're being controlled," a voice speaks, and old man in full Wutai battle gear drops to stand beside him. "Orochimaru summoned them, and is controlling them."

"Puppets, huh," Cloud says, making a face. Of course there are puppets, there are _always_ damn puppets when Sephiroth is concerned. Swinging his sword, he sends the black haired man backwards and then holds his blade in guard, looking between the black haired man and then at his white haired companion. Both had black sclera. Some new form of the genome, or…

"They're not alive, are they?" Cloud asks, glancing at the old man at his side. "Reanimated dead, right?"

"Hm," the old man agrees with a grim nod. "Spirits, summoned into pre-prepared bodies. They regenerate too, no matter what you do to them."

Cloud narrows his eyes. "The clone tried to put a thing in my head," he says, thinking about the first attack. "That was the control bit, yeah?"

"If you can take it out, we should be able to fight his control," the black haired dead guy says.

"But you won't be able to get it," the white haired dead guy says, and rushes forward.

Cloud looks between them and swings his sword in his hand. It hasn't been much of a fight, with the clone – but he'd been almost charged up before. It's there now, bubbling at the surface, and with a nudge the power tips over, pooling up, ready to be release.

Concentrating and aiming carefully, Cloud does a single powerful sideways sweep with his sword, shifting in between motion to give it a curve, to hit his targets head on with a single simple fully charged Braver.

* * *

 

Hiruzen almost chokes as his predecessors suddenly fell flat on their – well, not their faces, as they don't have them anymore. Their heads are thrown back as their bodies continue forward, stumbling and falling over and then lying there, lifeless as their heads roll away. And then, before they even stop rolling, the Reflection of Namikaze Minato fires wordless, gesture-less jutsu after them, and sets both heads on fire.

They wait for a tense silent moment, as the blond man swings his sword to rest on his shoulder again, almost casual but for the sharpness of his eyes as he stares at the bodies.

The heads burn and don't resurrect.

"Seems like that did it," the blond man says after a moment and turns to Hiruzen. "Now, do I have to fight you too?"

"I'd really rather not," Hiruzen says faintly, looking at him. No doubt about it – this man is definitely some version of Namikaze Minato, and yet very different. Powerful yes, but… far more raw. Whatever corner of the universe Orochimaru had managed to pull him from, it is probably a harsher place, than the one they live in. "I'd thank you for your assistance, but seeing that it wasn't voluntary…"

"Hn," the blond man answers and looks around them. The ANBU and the Hokage Guard Platoon are hovering around them, but at a respectful, nervous distance. They'd seen the man fight Orochimaru after all, and having watched him destroy Manda and _behead_ the First and Second Hokages… well. Sarutobi doesn't employ fools.

"So, what is this place?" the Reflection of the Fourth Hokage asks, his eyes shining crystalline blue in the sunlight as he looks from the artificial forest on the rooftop to the real forest beyond the walls. "There are no trees like these where I come from."

"You were… forcibly and rather accidentally summoned here from what I assume is another reality," Hiruzen says slowly, carefully watching him for any sign of hostility. "Orochimaru attempted to summon a… different version of you, but that man is inaccessible to his Impure World Resurrection technique. You were pulled in his stead."

"Multiverse, huh? Bugenhagen will be happy to know that theory is proven, I guess…" the blond man mutters and his eyes find the Hokage Monument – and his own face there. He arches an eyebrow at it, looking mildly disturbed before turning to Hiruzen. "Any chance of you sending me back?"

"I'm afraid… The technique Orochimaru used is strictly forbidden and dangerous for this very reason – when it goes wrong, there is no telling _what_ it does. It's too powerful," Hiruzen admits grimly. "I have no idea where it pulled you from or how. As it is, I know little about the skill in the first place – and Orochimaru made a different, supposedly improved version of it, and I know not the details."

"So, that'd be no," the blond man says, his voice flat.

"If we managed to catch Orochimaru and interrogate him… maybe," Hiruzen admits but shakes his head. "But even he doesn't know what he did."

"Great," the blond man says and looks back at the mountain, his own face there. Then he shakes his head. "Well, is there at least a place to get a drink around here?"


	2. Chapter 2

Turns out, Cloud had been summoned into the middle of a war – or invasion of some kind, in any case. There are warriors running about, fighting in the streets of the village he'd ended up accidentally defending by fighting and beating the Sephiroth clone.

It gives Cloud something to concentrate onto for a while. The old man, after cautiously prodding at him to see if he's about to blow a casket and kill them all told him, "I'm sorry, I know you must be very confused and I'd very much like to help, but I need to be off – my village is in danger, we have enemy assailants all over our streets, I need to go do my duty," and, "My men can help you stay out of the way, get you that drink you want."

"How about instead I go with you, and you tell me what to kill?" Cloud asks because it hasn't taken much to figure out that the old man is some sort of military leader, and Cloud knows how leaders work – how they delegate. He's got enough of that stuff from Wutai and Reeve – he'd much rather stay at the heart of things, than be politely brushed to the side, to be forgotten now and attended to later.

The old man pauses, looking at him with mild surprise. "You'd do that?"

"I'm a… type of mercenary," Cloud answers. Unpaid these days – no point, when you are one of the richest people in the planet, but still. "It's what I do."

The old man eyes him, eyes narrowing. "And payment?" he asks slowly, suspiciously.

"You buy the first round when you explain to me what the hell is going on," Cloud says and shrugs the left shouder. "And a place to stay a while. That'll be enough."

The old man considers that, considers him, for a moment. Then he makes a decision and nods, just like that. "Alright, I'll take you up on that. What's your name, son?"

"Cloud."

That makes the man smile, faint and sad. "It fits," he says. "You can call me Sarutobi."

Cloud shrugs. "Lead the way, Sarutobi."

* * *

 

Hiruzen keeps an eye on the reflection of Minato – on Cloud. The similarities are even more striking up close, but so are the differences, and it takes him little time to figure out that the key difference isn't in outlooks or even abilities – but experiences.

There is something obviously _hard_ about Cloud.

But there is no time for that now – he has a village to tend to. So the Hokage leads his men, his ANBU and the Hokage Guard Platoon – and his successor's mirror reflection – into the city, to begin the clean up.

"There, see?" Hiruzen says to Cloud and points out one Oto-nin, already beaten down and restrained. "People with that headband are enemies of my village and need to be subdued. Someone, get me a Suna-nin!"

One is quickly supplied by his ANBU and Hiruzen points at the headband. "These are the other attackers. I would prefer as few casualties as possible – capture if possible, kill only if necessary. Is that undestood?"

"Yes, sir," the blonde warrior says, resting his sword against his shoulder and considering. "I suppose you want to keep an eye on me?" he asks.

"Yes, you're with me," Hiruzen says and waves a hand at his ANBU and the Hokage Guard Platoon. "The rest of you, go."

Together, he and Cloud head off to meet the summoned creatures and the higher powered attackers. Thankfully, the invasion is mostly over now – with Orochimaru's failure and flight, the attackers have lost their will to fight. But failure could in some cases only make people more desperate, and desperate people are the more dangerous ones.

"Do you have abilities for subduing people?" Hiruzen asks, as they spot a group of Suna-nin fighting Konoha's forces.

"I have a few I can try," Cloud answers and swings his sword down.

* * *

 

The word spreads like wildfire among the assailants – the Third Hokage is alive and he has someone at his side, someone with blonde hair, someone who has beaten Orochimaru back with negligent ease. Orochimaru's famous summoning technique had failed, spectacularly.

There are now _two_ Hokages to fight, the God of Shinobi, and the Yellow Flash of Konoha, twisted by his death and turned monstrous. The blinding flash that had torn Orochimaru's greatest summon apart – that was him.

"We need to go," One of the Suna-nin gasps to the other. "We stay here and we're killed for sure – Orochimaru botched it all up and now Konoha's got the fucking Yellow Flash back – _we need to go_!"

Jiraiya, who had been about to summon toads, pauses to stare at the quickly retreating Suna-nin, not entirely sure he'd heard what he'd heard. Surely not. Orochimaru has been working with Edo Tensei, has been insidiously interested in perfecting it, but… _Surely not_.

* * *

 

"Hokage-sama!" a man shouts, jogging to Sarutobi's and Cloud's side, out of breath and obviously a bit battered. Then he stops. Even through his sunglasses it is obvious how wide-eyed he gets at the sight of Cloud. He swallows, his eyes growing wider the longer he looks at Cloud. "Uh –"

"What is it, Ebisu?" Sarutobi asks sharply.

"It's the genin, sir," the man says, swallowing again and still staring, apparently unable to look away from Cloud. "Uchiha Sasuke and the others – they chased after the Suna-genin – Gaara and the others. We have reports that there is a… battle of some magnitude occurring in their the direction they went. Sir," he adds, choked. "Uzumaki Naruto went with them."

Sarutobi pauses at that, while Cloud arches an eyebrow at the guy with the sunglasses, and then glances up at the mountain where someone has carved his face.

Or well, the face of the _other him_.

"That boy would be Sabaku no Gaara…" Sarutobi mutters and looks at Cloud. "How good are you at fighting monsters?"

"Damn good," Cloud says and rolls his shoulders. "If you want them _subdued_ and alive… that's trickier."

"Hm," the old man says, looking at Cloud's sword. "Perhaps not, then. Ebisu, Jiraiya should be here somewhere – go get him."

"No need," a new voice says, tight with underlying tension, and a man lands on the street beside him. He has long white hair and trails of red on his cheeks and he too is staring at Cloud, hard and intense. "I'm here, Sensei."

Cloud meets the man's severe gaze without expression and doesn't as much as blink at the wordless accusation in the man's stare.

"Sensei, what the hell is going on?" the long haired man asks, his voice tense as he glares at Cloud. Apparently his lack of reaction hadn't been what the man had been hoping for. Well, screw him, it isn't his fault that Cloud's looks like someone else and he isn't about to fucking apologise for his looks.

He'd been doing that enough when he'd been in the ShinRa infantry.

"Orochimaru botched up his Edo Tensei," Sarutobi answers, giving the man a severe look. "There will enough time for questions and answers later – Naruto and number of Genin are possibly fighting the Suna Jinchuuriki. Go deal with it, Jiraiya. Our guest… should be here when you come back."

"He damn well better," the white haired man, Jiraiya, answers and with last look at Cloud he turns to Ebisu. "Which way did they go?"

"Come on," Sarutobi says to Cloud. "We still have work to do."

"Hn," Cloud agrees, and follows.

* * *

 

There isn't that much left to do, it turns out. The few forces that haven't already been subdued are fleeing – all that is left unaccounted for are the genin. Hiruzen does a sweep over the village with Cloud following close behind him, painfully aware of how it must look, them, walking together like that.

It hasn't been thirteen years since he'd done this sort of thing with Minato himself. They used to walk the city together, just checking in on the citizens and talking small issues through. It had been good for the morale, for the citizens to see their leader out and about like that, and it is always good or everyone if Kage stops by every now and then to talk with the people face to face. It had been a common enough sight back then, and judging by the looks thrown in their way, lot of people haven't forgotten it.

And Cloud, even in strange clothes and strange foot wear, with a strange weapon and slightly more lopsided haircut, is the spitting image of Minato.

The whole thing, Sarutobi fears, will come back to bite him on the ass later, when word spreads through the rest of the village – and it will be worse yet, if it got out of the village. But there is no way around it now, and as it is… the likelihood that Cloud is about to become a common fixture is rather high.

Space Time jutsu are tricky and when they go wrong… reversing them is next to impossible.

"Looks like we're about done," Cloud comments. "Your village seems safe, if bit stirred up."

Hiruzen hums in agreement and concentrates onto the present – to the dead he'd seen, the casualties they'd suffered. Orochimaru's invasion has failed, but there'd be a price to pay. "Yes," he agrees grimly. Time to tally in the dead, he thinks and clears his throat "Report in!"

And the first ANBU appears to report the situation to him.

* * *

 

Kakashi stares, his mouth slack under his mask, at his Sensei. There he is, just like that, at the Hokage's side as the ANBU give their reports on the current situation on the village, standing there as if he'd never died. Namikaze Minato just _stands there_ , in strange clothes, with a massive sword as his shoulder, looking for the all the world to see _bored_ with the proceedings.

"Good," the Third Hokage says to the ANBU. "Please take the prisoners to T&I and deal with the dead…"

Minato-sensei isn't even paying attention – not to the Hokage, nor to the ANBU who obviously can't quite look away from the man. Instead Minato is staring up at the Hokage Mountain, his expression smooth and void of emotion.

Then he frowns and looks down and around, looking for something. His eyes find Kakashi who straightens up automatically… and his expression doesn't not as much as twitch. The blond man glances up at his headband, notes the Konoha Leaf and then, disinterested, looks away again.

He doesn't recognize him. Namikaze Minato does not recognise his own _student_.

Kakashi lets out a strangled sound and then tears his headband up because he must be seeing things, it has to be some sort of illusion, it has to –

It isn't a genjutsu, but what it is, he has no idea. The man who couldn't possibly be Minato-sensei and yet looks so much like him glows in the Sharingan's view with poisonous green, misty and strange and almost eerily powerful. Minato-sensei had never looks like that, his chakra has never seemed in any way violent or sickly – and yet at the heart of the poisonous glow, the man remains unchanged, his face remains Minato-sensei's face.

How? _How_?

Minato is now staring at him, his eyes narrowed – still doesn't recognize him, still doesn't know him. He does something that makes his eyes flash with light and narrows them further before turning to the Third Hokage and muttering something. The Hokage turns to look, and sees Kakashi.

"Damnit," the Hokage says. "Come here, Kakashi."

"Sir," Kakashi answers and obeys, his eyes never once straying from Minato's face. It is so familiar, painfully familiar, he knows it better than he knows his _own face_ and yet, that look on it… he doesn't know it. He doesn't know the cool glow of the man's eyes.

Who _is he_?

"Sir, what the hell?" Kakashi asks, and his voice sounds choked even to his own ears.

"Orochimaru," the Hokage answers. "What is the situation at the stadium?"

"Clear, sir," Kakashi answers automatically. "Number of Oto-nin managed to escape, including the spy, Kabuto – he possessed unknown medical abilities that we aren't prepared for. But the losses are minimal, rest of the hostiles there have been captured. Kurenai is watching over the arena now."

"Good," the Hokage says and glances between him and the, the… _the look-a-like_. The Hokage sighs. "He's not who you think he is."

Kakashi swallows and, yes – no, of course he isn't. This man is too young, in his early twenties at most – Minato-sensei would be in his thirties now, if he was still alive.

… but he looks _so familiar._

"Okay – who _was_ he?" the Minato-look-alike asks, pointing at the mountain, at his own face in it. "People keep staring at me like I killed their families, it's starting to bother me."

"My successor – beloved leader of our village," the Hokage answers tightly. "He died thirteen years ago."

"Hm," the look-alike answers, eying the mountain, lips pressed tight together in thought for a moment. Then he shakes his head. "Right," he says and looks down at Kakashi, and then away, awkward. "Well. Now what?"

The Hokage sighs and runs a hand over his face. "There are some minute issues I need to attend to," he says and looks at the look-a-like. "Can I trust you to behave?"

The look-alike rolls his eyes.

The Hokage snorts at him. "I'll take that as a yes. Kakashi, escort Cloud to my office – hopefully I'll be there within the hour. Keep him company. Get him something to drink."

"Yes, sir," Kakashi answers, swallowing dryly. "But sir – "

"It's fine," the Hokage says. "He's an ally. For now. Treat him as such."

With that said, the Hokage turns to follow his ANBU into dealing the aftermath of the invasion, leaving Kakashi standing alone with his Sensei's duplicate.

"This is going to be awkward, isn't it?" the duplicate asks flatly.

"You have no idea," Kakashi answers.

* * *

 

Cloud whirls the sake in its cup idly, staring up at his own face. They have pictures of four guys up on the wall of the old man's office – and one of them has his face. Two are the faces of the dead guys he'd beheaded, and the last – the third picture – is younger version of Sarutobi.

The past and present leadership of the village – the Hokages, with his duplicate being the fourth one. Successor to the current one, who'd taken up the mantle at Sarutobi's retirement and then died and forced the predecessor back into office. So, the whole fight with the Sephiroth clone had been about the Hokages, apparently – Orochimaru resurrecting and enslaving the other three to kill the Third of the total four. Only, apparently the Fourth one can't be summoned just like that – and so Cloud had been dragged into the fight in his stead.

That is, as far as Cloud can figure out, what happened in a nutshell. He'd have to wait for Sarutobi for confirmation, but for now he is satisfied he has it down pretty well.

"What was his name?" Cloud asks, nodding at his face on the wall. The other him has slightly different haircut and eyes that have never been touched by Mako, but his face... they even have the same resting face.

It's eerie.

The masked guy – who is still staring at him from the other end of the room – narrows his eyes. "You don't know?"

"Why would I? I'm not him," Cloud answers, wondering. Is this what the others, Genesis and Angeal, felt when they first encountered their own clones? This weird lack of... anything? It's like he's suddenly in a room decorated by someone else's pictures, and there's no floor to stand on.

Their clones had been actual clones, though, ShinRa made and grown in vats – or they were other people transformed. Manufactured in any case. This guy, this other Cloud, was real, as real as he is... if bit more dead.

"Minato," the masks guy says and it sounds a bit like an accusation. "His name was Namikaze Minato."

"Hm," Cloud answers with a nod, pressing it into memory, wondering if the rhythmic syllables mean something. Cloud Strife has a rather obvious meaning, after all. "Seems like you knew him personally," Cloud says then and takes another sip of the sake, glancing at the masked guy. The guy is certainly pissed enough at him for that.

The masks guy's single visible eye narrows. "He was my teacher."

"Ah. Got it." Smarter than Cloud then, probably. He'd never has any sort of patience for book learning and hadn't been able to leave his school behind fast enough.

So, a teacher, a leader of a militarised village and a fighter – or at least Cloud assumes, after having seen Sarutobi fight the others and from what Orochimaru said, that the other had been a fighter. A good one too. It is an… interesting choice of careers, for a version of _him_.

Silence stretches on, tense and awkward. Cloud ignores it in favour of getting more sake. Not his favourite drink – he is going to miss Tifa and her cocktails before long, probably – but it is alcoholic enough to do for now. Maybe, with enough many cups, he'd even feel it affecting him. Sipping without much hope of that, Cloud looks up at himself – at Namikaze Minato.

If he has to stay here – and honestly, his luck being what it is he probably does... the whole duplicate business is going to be a problem. The other guy is obviously famous and well liked. And people have a habit of hating poorer replacements.

And Cloud has no intention of shouldering Namikaze's burdens.

Sarutobi takes his sweet time arriving – by the time he does, Cloud swears he can feel holes in his face from the masked guy's, Kakashi's, constant staring. When the old man does arrive though, he isn't alone. The white haired guy with red trails on his face is with him – along with a kid of all things.

Cloud blinks slowly, his eyes drawn to the kid almost automatically. Because he is _noticeable_. He wears orange jumpsuit of all things. And he has blond, spiky hair bright as anything and blue eyes, and...

… _fuck_.

"Good, you're still here – and making your way through my best sake too, I see," Sarutobi says, while the kid stares at Cloud with open, puzzled interest. The white haired man is a bit more suspicious – and Kakashi is still glaring.

"Is everyone alright?" Kakashi asks, glancing at the white haired man and then at the kid. "Sasuke and Sakura?"

"Sakura banged her head – we took her to the hospital. Sasuke's fine, just tired," the kid asks and points a finger at Cloud. "Who's he?"

Sarutobi looks at Cloud, who arches an eyebrow in answer and takes another sip of sake to cover the sudden yawning bit of dismay that has opened up in his gut. The old man seems to take it as agreement, as he turns to the others.

"This is Cloud, the alternate reality version of our Fourth Hokage," Sarutobi says and then in clear and simple terms proceeded to explain the fight with Orochimaru and the Edo Tense to the others. Kakashi and white haired man – Jira something isn't it? – neither of them looks away from Cloud during it, so they's probably already figured it mostly out. So… it looks like it's just for the kid's benefit.

Cloud narrows his eyes at the kid, who is looking between him and the photo on the wall. The kid sees the resemblance but... doesn't actually recognise him? So not Namikaze's kid after all? Or… he doesn't know he is?

Cloud is keenly aware that while he is watching the kid, the others are gauging his reaction to him and to the situation and it's obvious implications. Fucking mind games over mind games, but all things considered... he can't really blame them. They probably have politics and whatnot riding on this, what with his other self being one of their former head honchos.

"Cloud," Sarutobi says, drawing his eyes from the kid. "While we will be looking into Edo Tensei, I doubt there will be a way to reverse this. We'll do what we can but... for now, it might be best to assume you're stuck here for good."

"I figured," Cloud mutters. Even ShinRa hadn't meddled with summoning and dimensional Materia too much – because when it goes wrong, it _goes wrong_. He shrugs. "Its fine. Could be worse."

"Well you don't you seem utterly heartbroken," the quite haired guy says with a snort.

Cloud gives him a look. "You have same gravity, similar enough atmosphere that I can breathe and so far nothing about this place is killing me, so I'm assuming your rad levels are same as back in my world and I'm not allergic to anything present so far. Pardon me as I count my small blessings."

That earns an arched look, which Cloud answers with rolled eyes and turns to Sarutobi. "What's it gonna be then? Am I staying here, in your village, or do you want me out of here?"

"Well," Sarutobi says and looks at the kid.

Cloud looks at the kid too. The kid looks back, confused. Cloud turns away, and back at Sarutobi. "So you think that because I look like him, I'm going to take up his kid?"

"Wait," the kid says. "Whose kid?"

* * *

 

Naruto looks between Old Man Hokage and the Fourth look-alike who snorts and pours himself another cupful of sake. The guy looks like – like... well like the Fourth but...

Naruto might not be the smartest person in the room, but no matter what Sasuke says, he isn't a complete idiot. And with the way everyone is looking at this guy, and him – and how they both look...

"Old Man?" Naruto asks plaintively because no way, _no way_.

Old Man Hokage sighs. "I had hoped to wait until became chunin to tell you this," he says sadly. "It hasn't been safe for you to know. As with some other secrets... it might and probably will make you a target, if a word gets out. So it is kept a secret. Was kept a secret, at any rate. Now, in light of Cloud's arrival and his identical appearance... the word will most likely get ourt either way."

"No way, old man," Naruto breathes. "No frigging way!"

"Way," the Hokage says with a sad smile and looks at the Fourth's portrait again. "His name is Namikaze Minato – and he was your father."

Naruto just gapes at him for a moment, his mind whirring. Then, "You!" he shouts, rounding on the Pervert Hermit. "You knew – you trained the Fourth, _you knew_! Why didn't you tell me? And you!" He rounds on his tearcher. "You were trained by the Fourth, Kakashi-sensei, so you knew too, you gotta have! Why didn't _you_ tell me?!"

They exchange awkward looks. "Time wasn't right, brat," Jiraiya says and reaches out to ruffle his hair apologetically. "You're still just a genin and your dad, he was a great guy, but he had enemies. You're his legacy, in more ways than one. We had to protect you."

"Jiraiya is your godfather, actually," Old Man Hokage told Naruto.

"Seriously?" Naruto asks and pushes Jiraiya hand off his hair. "Where the hell have you been, then? Where are you when I was in the orphanage?"

"We couldn't exactly hang around, Naruto," Kakashi points out, his tone awkward. "Few of the closest people to the Fourth, hanging around a kid who looks suspiciously like him? It wouldn't have been hard for anyone to figure out. We couldn't risk it."

Naruto snorts at that and then looks at the – his – the _look-alike_. Then he almost steps back because suddenly the guy's face is like a thunder cloud. Which – heh – but also _yikes_.

"Orphanage," the man repeats and every other adult in the room grows still at the tone. "He's your godfather," the man points at Jiraiya while still staring at Naruto. Then he points at Kakashi. "And he's your whatever he is... and you were put in an _orphanage_?"

"Damn, he even sounds like him," Jiraiya mutters, wincing.

"It was safer," Sarutobi says calmly. "And it is _safe_. No one knew his true identity, so he was under no danger."

"Right," the look-alike says, voice flat with disbelief, and looks at Naruto. "Are you still in orphanage, then?"

"Well, no, _duh_ – I got my own apartment when I was eight," Naruto answers, leaning back a bit more because the guy looks down right scary now.

The man's expression is utterly flat now. "Your own… apartment?" he asks and turns to Old Man Hokage, both eyebrows arched. "… when he was eight?"

"Yes, well – this is beside the point," the Hokage says with an awkward cough. "With you here and staying here, Naruto's parentage won't stay a secret for much longer – the likeness is too marked. So we need to plan how to proceed concerning this matter."

Naruto swallows, looking between the look-alike and the Fourth's portrait. His... his dad's portrait. Holy _Ramen_ , that will take a while to wrap his head around. And not just that but… the other guy too. Who looks just like his – uh – dad. Is another version of him or something?

The look-alike is looking at the portrait too, and then he turns to Naruto, thoughtful. "Well," he says and shakes his head. "I'm in no position to negotiate anything anyway, so... whatever."

"In no position –? You defeated Orochimaru without breaking a sweat," Old Man Hokage points out, making Jiraiya stand up straighter and Naruto blink with surprise. The Old Man continues; "You defeated the Resurrected First and Second Hokages with a single blow. That's one hell of a negotiating position to sit in."

"Is it?" the look-alike asks. "I have no local currency, no idea about the geography, the politics, or the value of... anything. Not precisely a sturdy base to start from."

The Hokage blinks. "You beat Orochimaru and two of the strongest people to have ever lived," he says slowly and meaningfully.

The look-alike paused at that, frowning. "Oh," he then says, looking a little confused now. "They were… strong?"

"Yes," the Pervert Hermit says, his tone utterly dry. "They were a bit strong, yes."

"Huh," the look-alike mutters, looking from Old Man to Pervert Hermit to Kakashi-sensei. "So, I guess my supposed negotiation position stems from the fact that… you think I can kill you all."

There is moment of tense silence.

"Could you?" Naruto asks finally, both weirdly eager to know and kind of… not, really.

The man shrugs. "In any case," he says somewhat tightly. "That is not something I use to my advantage," he says and looks at Sarutobi. "I don't give a crap about how things are done here – where I come from, we don't do that sort of thing anymore."

"Anymore?" Kakashi-sensei asks.

The man glances at him and doesn't answer. "Let's just pretend I am not a complete asshole and that I'm not about to kill people for my own gain," he says with obvious annoyance. "This is your village, your world – I am outside or whatever. So," he shrugged. "What are you going to do with me?"

* * *

 

Hiruzen stares at Cloud for a long quiet moment, gauging, contemplating, calculating. This man _isn't_ Minato, but he has something at the core of him, a resolution – it is so alike to that of Minato's that it makes Hiruzen's heart clench. It had been that very quality that had made Minato such a brilliant Kage, for that cruelly brief time he had been one.

Maybe in another world, Minato would've been this like this man – strong and sharp and so brutally confident about his own power that it became non-issue for him.

Looking down at his desk for a moment, Hiruzen pushes aside sentimentality and looks at the subject from the view of a Hokage. The way to proceed is obvious. There is no way he can let this man go – can let this chance pass Konoha by. Cloud is powerful and strange and yet familiar enough and there is no doubt he could be a great ally. Every shred of leadership sense Hiruzen has screams at him to keep the man as close as possible.

This sort of weapon at Konoha's side, and maybe the rumours about their weakness would die, and no other incident like the one of that day would occur. With someone like Cloud firmly rooted in Konoha… no one would dare attempt an invasion.

And Hiruzen isn't foolish enough to think they'd seen the true extend of this man's powers.

They need him – and they need his loyalty.

Naruto, Hiruzen thinks, is the obvious tool for that. The man is already exhibiting slight protectiveness – or at least outrage – over the boy. He can use that – he will use that. And Cloud is plainly aware of it too and he doesn't seem… at least outwardly against such unsubtle manipulation. That can be good or bad.

"Would you be willing to become Konoha's citizen?" the Hokage asks finally. "With all the expected loyalty that entails?"

Cloud met his eyes without expression. "Sure," he says and glanced at Naruto who blinked at him. "I can be loyal. To a point."

Kakashi and Jiraiya exchanged dark looks at that but remained quiet while Naruto fidgeted. Hiruzen narrowed his eyes. "To a point, which is…?"

"A moral one. I don't know what sort of laws you follow, what sort of sciences you have," Cloud says slowly. "But if unwilling, non-consensual human experimentation is involved…?" he shakes his head and says nothing more, his silence meaningful.

Hiruzen frowns a little at that. That is… surprising and telling and not at all comforting. "There are none that I know of, but Konoha has a history, and it is one of the largest and oldest shinobi villages," he says darkly. "And I am not omniscient."

"That's fine, so as long as you know I won't stand by idle if I see shit like that," Cloud says and folds his arms. "I can play by rules – to a point."

The Hokage nods slowly and some other thread of tension in him unclenches. Man of some moral fibre, this Cloud. That is good. "Well then," Hiruzen says. "Welcome to Konoha, Cloud."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oops I continued it, I guess this is a multi-chapter story now, welp.
> 
> Also still unbetaed because I'm still lazy.


	3. Chapter 3

Well, at least the old man isn't trying to hide his manipulations.

Cloud looks around in the apartment he'd been given. It's decent sized – three bedrooms with big kitchen and bathroom and nice view over the village. It has all the necessary necessities, from furniture to linens to dishware, and the fridge is fully stocked. Not bad, especially considering that Cloud slept outside on the road most times.

It is also, judging by the kid's exclamation, in the exact same building where Uzumaki Naruto lives.

"Its intended for housing shinobi who work long term missions and have no permanent housing in the village," Sarutobi explains – probably lied because everything in the place is brand new and untouched. "But we have other similar houses so you're free to use it. Also, here."

Cloud accepts the envelope he is handed and peeks inside. Money, judging by the looks of it.

"Just little something to get you started. Consider it my thanks for saving my life," the old man says with a smile and then heads off, leaving Cloud alone in his new place.

Alone, except for the kid, who is looking around wide eyed.

"This place is so much bigger than mine," Naruto says, shaking his head as he goes further in. "And so much nicer too. I got stains on the ceiling and stuff – but this place is _really nice_. And clean!"

Cloud counts the money – if the numbers on them are accurate, it's about ten thousand _ryo_ , though he has no idea what it's actual worth is. He'll figure gil to ryo conversation at some later point. "Stains in the ceiling," he repeats with an arched eyebrow.

"Yeah. Yellow and white ones."

Clouds eyes narrow and quietly he decides that Sarutobi is a complete bastard. "Show me."

"Uh," the kid says, uneasy, looking away. "It's bit of a mess?"

"I don't care."

Naruto hesitates for a moment longer while Cloud stuffs the money in his pocket. Then the kid shrugs. "Yeah sure – but it really is a mess."

It isn't, actually. There are some clothing items lying on the floor and there is bit of dust in the corners of the single room, but aside from that, the place is neat enough. The table and other surfaces are clean, the bed unmade but the sheets looks recently washed... Cloud has certainly seen worse. Lived in lot worse too.

His eyes are drawn to the windowsill above the unmade bed – there is a line of potted plants there, and outside there is a window box, full of flowerless plants. They all looks well cared for, and for a while Cloud's eyes lingered on them, wondering.

"Uh, sorry – I'm bit of a slob," Naruto admits, scratching the back of his head nervously – which, considering that the place isn't even all that messy, is a bit strange. "The biggest stains are in kitchen so, uh, this way?"

The small kitchen, it turns out, has mould growing in the ceiling. Cloud eyes it darkly, his lips pressed tight together. "How long has that been up there?" he asks then.

Naruto shrugs. "Couple of years? I figure I spilled something or something like that. The landlord says it's no big deal."

"... it's a health hazard," Cloud answers flatly and looks at him. "You should move."

"Pfft, where? This place is super cheap and I don't think any other place would take me in," Naruto muttered.

"Why not?"

"Uh... because reasons."

Cloud stares at him silently while the kid avoids meeting his eyes. "Fine," he then says. "Whatever. Let me know you're ready to stop choking yourself with mould spore exposure and we'll talk again," he says and turns to leave. "Now, where can I get food around here…"

The kid blinks after him, astonishment.

"Mould spores? Oi, wait, what mould spores?!"

* * *

 

Naruto bounces with each step a little as he leads Cloud through Konoha streets. Everything is still bit of a mess, there are blood stains here and there, but the streets has been cleared, the bodies taken away, and it doesn't look like the buildings have been smashed _too_ badly.

Everything is quickly going back to normal – with few more chunin and jonin running about maybe and fewer civilians hanging around in the streets, but still. Business as usual, more or less. It is a ninja village after all.

"Here, here," Naruto says and bounces ahead. He is a bit giddy and he isn't entirely sure why. The man isn't actually anything to him, the Old Man and the Pervert Hermit explained it all to him very clearly – but the guy is _something_. Naruto has no idea what but no one has ever gotten mad about Naruto being in the orphanage, or about stains in his ceiling and Cloud is bit of a bastard, but it seems like he maybe… cares… a bit. Which is new to Naruto. New and nice.

And Cloud is... well. _There_.

The Fourth isn't.

So Naruto is going to give him the benefit of the doubt.

"Oi, old man – customers!" Naruto calls as he ducks into Ichiraku Ramen. It looks like the place had gotten through the fighting okay. Awesome. "You and Ayame are both alright, right?"

"Yes. We're both fine, thank you for asking, Naruto," Teuchi greets, smiling. "And welcome -" he starts and then stops to stare at Cloud.

Cloud answers the stare with a flat one of his own and then swings his sword down and to lean onto the counter before sitting down on one of the stools by the counter.

"I'll have a miso ramen," Naruto says, taking a seat beside Cloud. "He's paying," he adds, pointing at Cloud.

"I am?" the man asks, arching an eyebrow at him.

"You gotta pay the tour guide," Naruto says calmly. "And besides I don't have any money."

Clouds eyes narrow at that. "With you or in general?"

"Well, in general, I guess. Used my last pay to get some new kunai and stuff, so," Naruto shrugs and then clapped his hands together, bowing his head. "Pretty please?"

"... your last pay? But aren't you – no, you know what, I don't care," Cloud mutters and looks at the list of prices. Then he shakes his head. "I'll pay for both of us – and I'll have what he's having."

"Hell yeah!"

"Coming right up," Teuchi says, his voice a little choked. "And if I may – it's wonderful – I mean, welcome back, sir. You've been greatly missed."

Naruto winces a bit at that and Cloud sighs. "Stop fawning. I'm not him," he says and looks away.

"I –" Teuchi says and then stops, looking confused.

Naruto shrugs at Teuchi. "Sorry. He's bit of an asshole," he says apologetically. "He's right, he's not the Fourht Hokage, just looks like him… but still, bit of an asshole."

Without even looking, Cloud swipes him across the back of the head. "Stop being rude."

"Wha – seriously?" Naruto asks with outrage. "But you're rude, you're _so_ rude!"

"Well then I'm not a good role model," Cloud says and closes his eyes with a sigh, leaning his cheek on his knuckles. "In point of fact, I want a drink."

Teuchi looks between them and then offers cautiously, "We have some sake if that would do?"

Cloud sighs. "Yes, alright," he says gruffly and accepts the cup soon after. "Thanks."

Naruto makes a face at him but soon there is ramen and he stops caring. Beside him Cloud is giving a set of chopsticks a slightly dismayed look before arranging them awkwardly in his hand and rather clumsily digging into the noodles.

It's bit weird, Naruto thinks, glancing at him. But at least it doesn't look like he hates ramen. So, that's a point in Cloud's favour, he decides, and turns his attention to his bowl of noodles.

A bit later someone walks into the stand. It is a harried looking civilian who first has only eyes for the counter – but who then stumbles at the sight of Cloud. She stares, her eyes widening, and lets out a high pitched noise of excitement – and then she runs out, her hurried steps echoing in the empty street outside.

"Wut?" Naruto asks around mouthful of noodles.

"Oh this is going to _fun_ ," Cloud comments and holds out his now empty sake cup. "Another."

* * *

 

There is a crowd outside Ichiraku Ramen. Civilians and shinobi both hover by the entrance, peering inside and whispering together excitedly.

Sasuke stares, stopping few meters of them. He isn't sure why he'd came here anyway – probably because of Naruto. It is always the first thing he demands when they came back home from a mission. No matter how injured or tired, Naruto has to have his ramen – he even refuses to go to hospital before getting his mandatory dose of noodles.

So, now the whole team is conditioned to associate after-mission recovery with ramen because of the damn total moron. These days they just head straight to Ichiraku after every mission, big or small – and Kakashi just encourages it. It's good team building, apparently.

Seeing the crowd, it makes Sasuke kind of hate them both. What are these people hanging about Ichiraku for? The place isn't exactly popular. It doesn't look like they're lining, either and it didn't seem like there is a crowd inside. So they... are just spying people inside?

It kind of reminds him of the time in academy when Ino and Sakura and a bunch of other girls used follow him around, watching him train and following him to the supermarket and hounding him in the library. It had been the worst couple of months he'd had since the… since _then_.

Too annoyed and too hungry to bother with heading somewhere else, Sasuke pushes the thought aside and then pushes past the crowd and into the stall itself – and finds that it _is_ mostly empty. There are actually only two customers – and one of them Sasuke knows. The other...

Sasuke blinks and quickly activated his Sharingan. It isn't an illusion. It really is the Fourth Hokage, dressed in dark blue and black, sitting there beside Uzumaki Naruto, eating noodles.

He'd heard about it, that there'd been someone who looks like the Fourth on the field during the invasion, that the guy has fought Orochimaru and chased him away, but... he hadn't really believed it. And now…

"Why's he with that... brat?" one of the civilians asks somewhere behind Sasuke, not quietly enough.

Sasuke kind of wants to laugh because don't they have eyes? Hell, how is it that he hasn't seen it before? Naruto has no family, isn't related to the Yamanaka – and aside from the Yamanaka, blond hair isn't exactly common in Konoha.

It makes a weird sort of sense – and yet _not at all_ , because Naruto is the village pariah, and an idiot, a dead last. Everyone _hates_ him. Why the hell do everyone hate him if he is the Fourth's kid? And how was he such a damn idiot, if he was the Fourth's Son? Did all the important genes just skip a generation or what?

"Oi, Naruto," Sasuke says, catching his team-mate's attention.

"Eh?' Naruto turns and then makes a face. "Aw, man, not you too!"

"Not me too, _what_?" Sasuke asks and then looks at the Fourth, who meets his eyes over a – yes that is definitely a sake cup.

"Friend of yours?" The Fourth asks Naruto and throws the sake back in single gulp.

"Team-mate," Naruto answers, folding his arms and making faces. "Uchiha Sasuke. He's a bit like you – an asshole."

Sasuke blinks as the Fourth slaps Naruto across the back of the head without a word. His team-mate yowls with outrage at the man, rubbing at the back of his head. "Stop hitting me!"

"Stop being a brat," the Fourth says calmly and looks at Sasuke. "Pull up a seat, kid. My treat."

"I -" Sasuke starts, first bristling because he can damn well buy his own food and he needs no one's charity. But... it's the Fourth. And there is a crowd of people watching. "Um, you don't have to do that, sir."

"I don't care," the Fourth says and then gives Naruto a look. "See, he can behave and be polite."

"He's been replaced by a pod person," Naruto says suspiciously, giving Sasuke a narrow eyed look.

"Shut up, Naruto," Sasuke says and pulls up a chair, both a little uneasy but also curious. The Fourth is a lot different than the stories says, it seems. "Pork ramen," he says to Teuchi. "And if you have them, add some –"

"Tomato slices, yes, coming right up," the chef says and got to work while Naruto made faces at Sasuke.

"Okay, it's Sasuke – only he can ruin perfectly good ramen like that," Naruto says with a harrumph.

"At least I don't empty out three packets of salt into it," Sasuke answers and grabs a pair of chopsticks.

Naruto stuck out his tongue. "Yeah, because you have no taste."

"I think it says more about your sense of taste – or lack there of -"

The Fourth watchs them silently, absently turning his empty sake cup upside down and pushing it away. The look on his face is amused and slightly nostalgic, before the clatter of feet behind them makes him look away. Sasuke and Naruto both look too, following his gaze.

A Hyuuga jounin has dropped down to the street in front of the crows and like everyone else, she too quickly turns all her attention on the Fourth. And not just that – as the man arches an eyebrow at her, she activates the Byakugan without a word, veins bulging as her vision sharpens.

Whatever her All Seeing Eyes sees, it makes the woman look faintly sick.

Then she is gone, vanishing in whirl of leaves without saying anything.

"… the _fuck_?" the Fourth says flatly.

* * *

 

The word spreads – the Fourth is out and about, out on the streets actually, in Ichiraku Ramen with Uzumaki Naruto and Uchiha Sasuke. It isn't just the civilians who are interested – shinobi are too, and quite number of them have heard of his fight with Orochimaru, had seen the light that destroyed Manda, but not the man responsible.

As Hyuuga Hanako reports back to her clan head about the man in the ramen stand, other shinobi trickled in to see the Fourth Hokage. And while he is definitely different, dressed differently and with a different look on his face, he's still the _same_ , the beloved Hokage they had lost to his untimely demise.

Happy, elated rumours spread – their Fourth Hokage, returned! Some are already planning a celebration.

And then an Inuzuka arrives, one who takes just one look at the man and proclaims, "You're not Namikaze Minato. Who the fuck are you?"

* * *

 

Cloud sighs. So it begins, he thinks grimly, and wonders how to answer. He is going to piss someone off either way. Lot of people, probably. Judging by the looks of her, this woman is already pissed with him because he isn't who he looks like.

He'd stopped drinking too soon.

"Cloud," he says.

"What?" the wild looking woman growls.

"My name. _Cloud_."

That doesn't seem to be what she'd been expecting – probably thought he'd deny it and claim he is Namikaze, call her a liar in turn. Now she eyes him suspiciously and Cloud arches an eyebrow in return, challenging. The people behind her murmur and someone speaks out in accusation.

"You aren't the Fourth Hokage?" a man asks, actually pointing a finger at him.

"Never claimed to be," Cloud answers and then it starts.

"But you look just like him!" someone in the crowd shouts. "So, you're just pretending to be our Fourth Hokage?"

"How dare you!"

"Someone, arrest him!"

Cloud faces the accusations silently, his eyebrows arching and then descending into a frown. They are seriously calling for his arrest just because looks like someone else? Someone is actually calling for his _execution,_ shouting, "Fucking fake, kill him!"

What the hell is wrong with this place?

Cloud looks at the wild woman with red marks on her cheeks, who is now eying him with mixed curiosity and suspicion. She sizes him up for a moment, thoughtful and calculating, and then she rounds up on the crowd. "Alright that's enough!" she barks at them. "Scram! All of you, out of here! _Get_!"

As Cloud, Naruto and Sasuke watch, the woman disperses the crowd, almost literally barking at them until they run off, throwing curses at her and getting twice as many back. It is a… sight to behold.

"There," she says in satisfaction and rounds up on him again. "So the rumours that Orochimaru botched up a resurrection is wrong, then?"

"No, they're probably right," Cloud shrugged. "He is going for Namikaze – got me instead."

"And you're…?"

"Cloud."

The woman rolls her eyes. "Yeah, I got _that_ , but what the fuck are you? Some sort of duplicate?"

Cloud narrows his eyes. "What the do you want?" he asks coolly.

"You're causing a damn stir," she says and saunters forward – not, that is to say, like woman on a mission, but rather like wolf about to tear into a intruder. "The whole damn town is buzzing about how the Fourth Hokage is back. Stuff like that makes a person curious."

"Uhhuh," Cloud says, unimpressed.

She eyes him for a moment and then grinnes, all teeth and fangs. "So, you really fought and beat the snake bastard?" the woman asks. "You really beat Orochimaru and sent him running, tail between his legs?"

"Well," Cloud answers, and relaxes minutely but still keeping a wary eye on her. There is still something predatory about the woman, but it doesn't seem as if she is after his blood anymore. "No, not really. He didn't really have legs left at that point."

That makes the woman throw her head back and laugh. "Inuzuka Tsume," she introduces herself and holds out her hand. "Me and Namikaze became chunin around the same time. And on behalf of us all, thanks."

Cloud arches an eyebrow and then takes the hand and shakes it. She has firm grip. "Right. You're welcome, I guess."

"Buy you a drink?" Tsume then offers, sliding into seat beside him. "Old man, two sake – and get me a bowl of pork while you're at it," she says and then, as soon as Teuchi has gotten the sake, she offers her cup in toast. "To legless snakes!"

Cloud toasts her. A woman after his own heart, this one.

* * *

 

Kakashi loungs about in the rooftop of Ichiraku Ramen, wondering if he should warn Cloud about Inuzuka Tsume. She'd been drinking men twice his size under the table since she'd been fifteen, and Minato-sensei had been her target regularly, losing not only number of brain cells to her escapades, but often the contents of his wallet too.

But then again, by his estimation Cloud should by now be completely plastered with how much he'd drank first in the Hokage's office and now in Ichiraku Ramen – and he isn't. The guy either has a tolerance for alcohol that would make accustomed alcoholics weep, or he is metabolising alcohol differently than people usually do.

Idly Kakashi thinks back to the sight of him under Sharingan's view, that poisonous green glow, and wonders.

"Hey, you knew my dad, Tsume-san?" Naruto asks below in the actual stall.

"So they finally got their heads out of their asses about that? Yeah I knew your dad, kid – everyone knew your dad. He was the damn Hokage," Tsume answers. "But yeah I knew him personally too. We weren't exactly best buddies or anything like that, but I'd like to think we were friends."

"So it's true. Naruto is the Fourth Hokage's son?" Sasuke asks, voice full of disbelief.

"Worst kept secret ever," Tsume says with a huff of laughter and then makes a terrible slurping sound. Eating, apparently.

Kakashi's stomach grumbles piteously at that. He hasn't had time to grab a bite to eat since the invasion had started.

"So, what was he like?" Naruto asks.

"He was… one of the good ones," Tsume says thoughtfully. "That sort of calm collected type that irks you oh so much when he's on the other side of the battle field from you, but when you got that on your side, there's nothing like it. Ambitious, of course – the guy didn't became Hokage by chance. Kind of relentless too…"

Kakashi listens to her retelling of Minato-sensei's personality, half pained at her rough description of him – but she isn't actually saying anything that isn't true. He couldn't help but hope that she had dressed it up a bit better, though. It's not the most flattering of pictures she's painting.

Resolutely ignoring the fact that it really probably should've been him – or Jiraiya – telling Naruto about his father, Kakashi wonders how Cloud is reacting to it all. He really ought to have picked a better observation point.

* * *

 

"So that's him?"

"Hm," Hiruzen agrees, eying his crystal ball. It is showing them a view of Ichiraku Ramen, where Inuzuka Tsume is revealing all sorts of secrets – former secrets – to avid audience of two genin and one unknown. Had it been a day ago, it would have been a treasonous offence. Today…

From today onwards, things would be difference.

"All things considered, he doesn't seem much like Minato," Homura noted, his eyes obviously on Cloud who seemd to be paying attention only to his sake cup. Tsume is talking more around him than at him, addressing Naruto more than the Fourth's reflection.

"They have lived very different lives, this man and our Fourth Hokage," the Hokage says, folding his arms. "There are… moments when I could see something of Minato in him. I believe they share some of the same ideals, or at least their core tenets. But Cloud is a very different man, yes."

"What do we know about him?" Koharu asks, frowning slightly. "I don't suppose we have a character analysis on him yet?"

"My ANBU are working on it from a distance, and Hatake Kakashi expressed understandable interest in observing the man, so I expect a detailed report from him too," Hiruzen says and gives them a wry smile. "With the power Cloud displayed in his fight against Orochimaru, I felt it is better if we proceeded… cautiously."

"How strong do you think he is, then?" Koharu asks.

"He called a wave of light from the heavens and it tore Manda into pieces, and Orochimaru almost went with him," Hiruzen points out and shrugs. "I wouldn't dare to guess at his strength. All I know is that I don't feel like testing it, nor do I feel like pushing the man."

"And yet you are," Homura pointed out. "And obviously too – putting him in the same building as Minato's son… I can't think of a way you could've been any _more_ obvious."

Hiruzen shrugs at that. "I think he expected it – and if I hadn't, then both Cloud and Naruto would've felt as if they are being kept forcibly apart, and that would've been much worse."

"And what if he decides to… take Naruto up?" Koharu asks with a tight look about her face. "We know nothing about this Cloud, aside from smidge of his strength and hint of his beliefs. That's not much to go on and I don't think it's enough to risk our Jinchuuriki on. Do you?"

Hiruzen hums and doesn't answer, dark frown coming to his face.

Danzo smiles, glancing between his old friend and the crystal ball. He can see what Hiruzen is doing, easy enough – or what he is trying to do. Even having grown so terribly soft over the years, Hiruzen can still be a cunning bastard when he needs to be. They don't know this Cloud's strength and didn't have enough high powered shinobi to risk testing it, so his strength and danger belied in it is a moot point. What they need, more than knowledge of the man's strengths, is his _compliance_.

Uzumaki could very well be the reason for that compliance. Chain the man to this son of his alternate self through bonds of kinship and family and the man, and his strength, would fall in line for the benefit of his family and the village his family resided in.

Hiruzen is a fool, trusting too much on sentimentality, and it could turn on it's head very easily. Instead of the man falling in line, it might end up being Uzumaki who got chained – tethered to this man they know so little of.

It is a risk, but one Hiruzen seems willing to take. That is fine, Danzo muses, not really caring much for the jinchuuriki in the first place. But overall… the plan is stupid. Childish, even, and oh so soft, as are so many of Hiruzen's plans of late.

The village has just been attacked, and though worst has not come to pass – more's the pity – they are weakened. The only reason things has not gone worse than they had is because of their new guest, and his easy humiliation of Orochimaru. Word of that would carry, Danzo would make sure of it. Konoha's strength would be known again and the whispers of their weakness would cease.

But without proper control it would be nothing but talk. They need not to ease the man into loyalty – but bring him to _heel_ , and the sooner the better.

"We have a whole squad of ANBU tailing him, and Kakashi besides. Jiraiya has also expressed interest in staying in Konoha for a bit longer," Hiruzen says. "For now, I'm satisfied with watching and seeing where this goes."

Danzo glances at him. "And if things go south?" he asks wryly.

"Hopefully by that time we might have better idea about his strengths," Hiruzen says, giving him a look. "Right now, we don't have anything. And it's not worth the risk of backlash to test him."

Danzo allows that with a nod and straightens up. So, figuring out the man's weakness would be the first priority now – and his limits. How far could the man be pushed before his abilities, whatever they might be, would be turned against them?

And then there is another issue. Namely Orochimaru and his modified Edo Tensei. If it can summon an alternate Namikaze Minato, a living breathing man rather than a reanimated corpse… what else could it summon? And what else would Orochimaru use it for now that he knows about it's new ability?

Turning to leave, Danzo narrows his single visible eye and plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sneaky sneaks sneakily sneaking about  
> Still unbetaed


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter we shall take a sudden turn for the brutal

Orochimaru is barely conscious by the time they make it to the forward hideout. He's lost a lot of blood – and approximately 35% of his entire body – and the only reason he isn't dead yet is because his attachment to the broken body he's inhabiting is tenuous at best. Chakra and force of will keeps it going through several cardiac arrests and fainting spells but even with that and wads of Kidomaru excellent webbing for bandages... he's running out of time.

"I need a sacrifice," he snarls through bloody teeth. "Find me a body, and prep it."

"Orochimaru-sama?" Sakon asks, worried. "You mean a host, right?"

"No – a sacrifice,' Orochimaru spits and swallows a grunt as Jirobo and Tayuya set him to sit against already blood stained wall. "We're going to summon my new host. Now go."

They engage looks but follow orders, his perfect obedient soldiers. Orochimaru smiles after them and then coughs out a clotted mess of blood, spitting it aside in disgust.

The fourth Hokage's mirror reflection had done a number on him and there's no mistake – Orochimaru would figure out how he'd done it, what kind of summon did that much damage, at such a distance. It would have to wait, and though Orochimaru graves a body like that of Namikaze Minato's terrifying duplicate... there are alternatives. Perhaps even better ones, now that he has this new power at his disposal.

On their flight from Konoha he'd had time to think about the new aspect of Edo Tensei. The case of Namikaze Minato and his double is an unique one – not many have had their souls swallowed by a Shinigami, after all. But the cause behind the failure of Edo Tensei might be easily repeatable, with small adjustment to the summoning. All he needed to do... was exclude souls residing in the impure world entirely.

Then he could summon for a person he knows still lives – and Edo Tensei would fail, and supply him with as close alternative from another world as it could, a bear perfect living duplicate.

Orochimaru smiles, watching his blood spill on the stone floor. Finally, he thinks, his experiments would near a perfect, beautiful fruit. And who knows, perhaps after this he can keep summoning the same body, over and over, and keep himself and his body at optimal condition, forever.

* * *

 

Jirobo carries the body in and Orochimaru watches closely as Sakon and Kidomaru prepare it, guiding them through the reworked seals and examining their work with critical eye. The body is one from the cooler, it looks like – he can see the tag of a bloodline limit on it's toe, one of his samples. Later he might be annoyed about the waste of valuable research material, he thinks, but now there is no time. For now, he's satisfied with the speed and efficiency of the Sound Fours work – he'd made them well indeed.

"Now, we need traps," he says and looks at Tayuya and Kidomaru. "He will most likely try and defend himself – we need him unconscious the instant he lands. But don't harm him – I need his body perfect and unspoiled."

"Got it – but," Tayuya hesitates, gripping her flute in hand. "Who the fuck are you summoning? Because if it's the Fourth, we need something stronger than just what we can throw on the fly."

Kidomaru nods, fiddling with bit of a web. "Trapping this room to start with, sealing it up, maybe..."

Orochimaru looks at them, smiling. Though failures as potential hosts, they are all brilliant examples of scientific method, of his method, in the road to perfection. They'd be wasted effort if this worked, but he is still rather proud of them.

Even if they are so hopelessly slow at times. Pity that Kabuto hadn't caught up with them yet – he would've followed his line of thought without any trouble.

"We are going to indeed need something stronger than just what we can throw on the fly," Orochimaru grins and reaches for inside his robe, where he carries the most important and valuable, samples he has, the ones he dares not let out his sight. He has only one single drop of blood from this particular subject, held in a phial wrapped in best containment seals he's ever managed. "Traps are a good start. Don't hold back now – do everything and anything you can think of to subdue. Chances are... he will be strong then the Fourth's duplicate was."

They engage nervous, worried looks, but know better than to waste time with questions or objections – they simply get to work, laying seals and traps and preparing their attacks. Hopefully the element of surprise, would give them an edge – the chances of these children matching any form of this particular individual are ludicrous at best.

Well, Orochimaru has still some tricks up his own sleeve too.

With the Cursed Seal tingling on his tongue, he waits until the preparations are ready and then smiles, gripping the precious phial tighter. "Well then," he says as the Sound Four turn to him expectantly. "Help me up, it's time to summon myself a new body."

* * *

 

The Edo Tensei struggles, the new seals grinding terribly against the impossible task Orochimaru had given it. He and the Sound Four had backed away at a safe distance, watching as power flickers over the sacrifice, crackling loudly and making the body's skin crack.

Then they are washed with the concussion wave of an explosion that utterly tears the seal wrapped body apart. The whole room is suddenly full of dust, some of it formerly human, and for a moment they none of them can see anything.

In the dust, traps are sprung. There are flashes of seals as tags activate and twang of wire going taunt – but no sound of anything catching. No sound of a body falling.

Then Orochimaru spots a pair of red eyes glowing in the dust cloud, and quickly snaps out an order to, "Attack! Take him down!"

There is a flurry of attacks as the Sound Four all aim their best efforts at subduing the man. In the wake of the first attacks – Tayuya who is trying to choke the man by removing the air around him – Orochimaru sees him.

And knows, this man is very different from the version they have here.

This man is older, at least in his late twenties if not in his thirties His hair is black, as it should, his skin deadly pale, as it should – but his eyes under his blood red bandana... there is no sign of the triple tomoe of Sharingan, and yet the eyes are Sharingan red. He stands proud and firm in the wake of the Impure World Resurrection's backslash and in the wash of triggered and yet ineffective traps – clothed in familiar red and black, even if the design of his leather outfit and red cloak are very different.

Orochimaru heart throbs with want. This is the version he's always imagined, the perfect, fully grown version, strong and tall and judging by the looks of it unhindered by illness or encroaching blindness.

And then Kidomaru webs launch at him, and Jirobo and Sakon rush forward together to attack him – and the man goes down. Or so it looks, just for a moment.

The reflection – fully developed, glorious adult form – of Uchiha Itachi crouches down in hands and feet for a moment and then, suddenly, there's another explosion.

Jirobo goes down first, thrown back by an impact to his forehead that bore not only through the skin and bone, but blew the back of his head open. It happens so fast that Orochimaru only registers the aftermath, Jirobo falling in spray of blood and bone and brain matter – and then there is another explosion, and Sakon is thrown back as well.

Orochimaru sees it then, a strange shape in the reflection's right hand – a weapon, now aimed at Kidomaru, the next closest person. Kidomaru sees it too, tries to duck – but the weapon, whatever it is and however it works, is faster than the eye. Though Orochimaru now sees the origin of the sharp, loud explosion – it comes from the end of the strange weapon, a flash of light and smoke – that doesn't change the outcome. Kidomaru stumbles and falls, the side of his head blown open.

And then the weapon aims at Tayuya, who in shock and horror has stopped playing. Air rushes back in, momentarily obscuring the reflection of Uchiha Itachi, and when the dust settles he's standing up, his weapon aimed straight at them.

"Sakon, Kidomaru," Tayuya whispers. "Fatso – you, you _bastard_ -"

Orochimaru ignores her, he can barely think for the sheer want coursing through him. He'd always known that Uchiha Itachi was as close an example to shinobi perfection as you could get without artificial modifications – as beautiful and as brutal as sword blade, and just as coldly efficient. His only flaw was his failing health – should he ever get the chance to reach full maturity in age and ability both... He'd be utterly unstoppable.

Here, he has an example of that fantasy realised, and it promises him efficient death, void of hesitation or even calculation – just quick, efficient execution, and that's all. By God, Orochimaru wants.

"Talk," the reflection of Uchiha Itachi orders. He doesn't even bother to threaten. Knows he doesn't need to.

Orochimaru smiles, slow and utterly enthralled. "I have summoned you from another world," he says and laughs, unable to help it, because this, this is _wonderful_. "There is no way to send you back. You are now prisoner in this world, in this reality."

The reflection doesn't even bat an eye that. Instead he looks Orochimaru over, taking in the damage of his body, the blood on his chin. Then, slow and calculated, he steps forward for a closer look.

"You fucking –!" Tayuya moves between them, furious and desperate and perfectly willing to give her life in defence of her master, as she should. Orochimaru waves her aside, however – the man in red would tear through her like wet paper of he felt like it, that much is obvious now.

This is no longer a physical battle – if it ever even had been, they'd lost appallingly fast. What follows will be a battle of wits, and it's a battle where their lives hang on the balance.

* * *

 

Vincent catalogues the similarities and differences methodically, drawing mental connections, but holding back theories for now. Not enough information, not yet – though he has a suspicion.

The legless, one armed, utterly brutalised man on the floor is very familiar looking, after all. The face, the rasp of his voice, the strange, breathless laughter. And there are… similarities to other things. The androgynous, ageless look. The eyes, though yellow, with their catlike pupils. It makes a picture so terribly clear and logical that Vincent's trigger finger is itching to put a bullet between it's eyes.

"Who are you?" Vincent asks, not letting the mounting disturbance into his voice.

The legless man smiles, bloody and entirely too gleeful for Vincent's liking. "My name is Orochimaru," he says. "I am a leader of a village of powerful warriors."

"And a scientist," Vincent adds.

That makes the legless man, Orochimaru, arch his brows. "Oh? Now how would you know that?" he asks with great interest.

"A lucky guess," Vincent answers wryly. "What do you want from me?"

"I summoned you here to help me," Orochimaru says. "I'm – my people are in danger, need a powerful warrior to defend them. I called for the strongest one I could."

Vincent blinks at that, not entirely sure he just heard that right. The man couldn't possibly try a lie that bad after sending his people to attack him, could he? It's an obvious, unashamed lie – but a telling one too. This man would be responsible for Cloud's sudden disappearance, then.

A test, to see his reaction, to see if he has connection to Cloud? That, and start of a mind game, one for which Vincent has no patience.

"You lead a village of powerful warriors and you need a powerful warrior to help you?" Vincent says flatly.

"The danger we face is nearly insurmountable," Orochimaru says and motions at himself. "See what they did to me."

Shoddy job at finishing him, Vincent thinks and shakes his head. "And the real reason?" he asks, looking between Orochimaru and his lone standing underling. She's glaring at him furiously – possibly thanks to the death of her companions.

Orochimaru hesitates – so, Vincent gives him an incentive. The kick and flash of Cerberus is intensely satisfying – as is the welt the bullet gouges on Orochimaru cheek on its way to the wall beside his head.

The only one to really react is Orochimaru's female underling, who lets out a shrill noise of outrage. She's flexing her hands, gripping the flute she'd been playing before, and she's obviously on the verge of action – but so far it doesn't seem she's suicidal enough to actually go for it. Vincent keeps half an eye on her as he waits for Orochimaru to speak.

Silence follows, as Orochimaru's cheek flexes with tension and the blood dribs down the man's pale cheek, to join the splatters of coughed up blood on his chin.

Vincent aims for his other cheek.

"I... need new body, " the legless, one armed man says, slowly, begrudgingly, staring at him straight on. "You are the alternate universe version of my first, sadly unavailable, choice."

For a moment, Vincent wonders if this is a dream if some sort after all, a hallucination – one of his monsters playing mind tricks on him, plaguing on his memories and fears. But even they wouldn't cone up with this sort of ludicrous nonsense.

A version of Professor Hojo, who wants to _possess his body_.

Ridiculous.

Vincent is half tempted to let the man _try_ just to see how badly his monsters would tear him apart.

"You don't seem surprised," Orochimaru says, watching him closely.

"You're not very surprising," Vincent says, even if he rather is. But though the whole situation is strange enough to compete with some of the stranger events in Vincent's life… none of it is exactly new. Just lot of old problems, in a new package.

"The man you summoned before," Vincent says, taking in the flash of interest in Orochimaru's eyes and matching it with a cool look. "Where is he?"

"Dead," Orochimaru tells him – and this time the lie is perfectly believable. "He wasn't strong enough to withstand the possession."

Vincent actually has to lift an eyebrow at that. So, Cloud was the one who'd maimed the man – and then failed to finish him. Typical. "Alright, last question," Vincent says and aims Cerberus right between the man's eyes. "Are you married, Professor?"

"... what?" Orochimaru asks, now confused – answer enough.

"Good," Vincent says with satisfaction, but before he can make the shot, Orochimaru moves.

He slithers a little like a snake almost out of his body entirely in a sudden lightning fast lunge at Vincent. The man's jaws extend, very much like that of a snake,  and there are fangs in his mouth, dripping something black.

Vincent braces himself for the inevitable – and _shifts_.

* * *

 

Orochimaru bites on fabric, as the reflection of Uchiha Itachi suddenly flows out of his way, out of physical form, into what looks like red mass of cloth, shifting and flowing like liquid. Genjutsu, he thinks and spits the red cloth from his mouth – except he can taste it, he can _smell_ it, leather and wool and blood and oil and black powder.

No, not a genjutsu – a physical alteration. The man is a shape shifter! Of course – the Fourth's duplicate had been a swordsman rather than a ninjutsu specialist, so of course it would make sense for the duplicate of Itachi to be different too. Already he uses a different weapon, a powerful and brutal weapon, so naturally he would have different abilities.

Orochimaru wrings away from the sudden red _cloud_ that all but envelops him, trying to find centre mass, something to attack – but the red mass the man has become is weightlessly floating and strangely incorporeal for all that it looks like the man's cloak, given life. His eyes flashing from side to side, Orochimaru quickly degrees that the ability must have a weakness.

Orochimaru is too injured and too weak to battle – his best chance had been to catch him with the Cursed Seal and end his chakra system into disarray, immobilising him at least for a moment and now… 

Tayuya then takes incentive, and whips up her flute. She's already half way into her transformation as she starts to play quick and brutal notes. The waves of her chakra are impressive, for someone on her level, but they barely make the shifting red quiver – whatever genjutsu she is trying to weave, it has little impact.

Still, it does have a minute impact – the reflection is distracted. And chances are in this form, the reflection of Uchiha Itachi can't possibly attack someone with his strange weapon – not without taking a fully corporeal form.

Orochimaru makes a seal, fully intending to set the whole red mass on fire.

And then hot, hard metal presses against the back of his head – the end of the man's weapon.

"I'm your only way back to your own reality!" Orochimaru says quickly, holding very still, as Tayuya's flute falls quiet, as quick as it had begun to play. In the corner of his eyes Orochimaru can see her, stilling. He can also see Sakon, lying lifeless on the floor – and the fact that Yukon hasn't stirred up stands in testimony to the power of the weapon pressed against his head. It killed them both in one shot.

At this distance, there would be no way to avoid being hit – even if he new what it was the weapon launched. Some sort of bolts, perhaps – it didn't matter. It was too fast to be dodged at distance, and pressed against his head… Even he wouldn't survive the damage.

The duplicate behind him – still more flowing than not, in some sort of in-between state of forms, rather like Suigetsu's water form – is quiet. The weapon presses harder.

"I was the one who summoned you here, I can the only one who can send you back," Orochimaru continues quickly, even as he drops his hand in surrender. "It will take time but I can do it – you _need_ me."

"Do I?" the reflection asks coolly.

"This is a strange world for you. Obviously our two worlds have great differences, we have different abilities and means – I can help you acclimate," Orochimaru explains, turning his head just enough that he can see him. The man's eyes… they're glowing.

Glowing, like the eyes of the Fourth Hokage's duplicate, only this man's eyes glow red, not blue. And if Orochimaru wasn't mistaken, his face was changing – visible veins ran down it. What were they? How were they this strong? Were everyone in that world the same?

"The man you summoned before me. Where is he?" Itachi's duplicate asks, his voice much lower now, a growl. When he speaks, Orochimaru can see his teeth – they're longer and sharper.

Orochimaru hesitates. He has to stall – there is still a way to turn this to his advantage, somehow. He has this bit of information over this man, he has a bargaining chip, he can still do this. "I will help you find him," he says. "If you just –"

The duplicate sighs.

It's the last thing Orochimaru hears before the noise of the strange weapon going off fills his ears.

* * *

 

Tayuya screams, loud and outraged in a way she hasn't been in a long, long time. Orochimaru falls down, limp and lifeless, and no longer supported by the length of his neck, or the power of his chakra. Just like that, it all fades – his power fades. Orochimaru, so powerful and so terrifying, _dies_.

"You son of a biitch!" she screams, running forward in full cursed seal transformation and swings wildly with her flute. There's little finesse to it – she just wants to kill the son of a bitch. She might've not particularly liked any of her so called team-mates and Orochimaru was  bastard of the highest order – but they'd been _hers_ and they're _dead_ and she's so fucking mad she can barely breathe…!

Her metal flute clashes in a metallic bang against the man's arm, so far hidden under the red cloak – it's metal thorough out, golden and fucking ridiculous. Tayuya bangs against it with her flute, feeling her horns grow, feeling her skin crackle – she'll kill him, she'll fucking kill him –!

"Ah," the red fucker says and then grabs her by the wrist and spins her around, trapping her arm behind her back. When she goes to swing at him with his elbow, he captures that too, in a hand now free of the weapon.

"Transformation," the fucker says, and Tayuya snarls at him, kicking and writhing and utterly unable to escape. Fucking cursed seal transformation does nothing – the man's grip is like fucking _iron_. "He did this to you? There's no mako in you – how does it work?"

"The fuck is mako, you shitty son of a fucking goat?!" she shouts and tries to elbow him again and when that doesn't work she screams in frustration.

The fucker leans in, and she could almost swear he was actually fucking smelling her. "There is something in you," he says, his voice a growl now. "You're drawing power directly from the Lifestream."

"The fuck is that – let me fucking go, you fucking – "

 He lets her go – all but throws her away, actually – and when she whirls around to take a swing at him, she sees it. He's changed too – transformed. It's almost like cursed seal transformation – except he's transformed his fucking _clothes_ too. There are horns on his head that seem to grow out of his shitty bandanna, and the red cape has turned into set of leathery wings. How the fuck…?

The man tilts his head to the side, eying her with glowing eyes. "Where you there when he," he motions at Orochimaru's body. "Summoned the blond man?"

"Why the fuck should I tell you?!" Tayuya shouts.

"Because if you don't, I will not resurrect your allies."

Tayuya stops, looks at Jirobo, at Sakon and Kidomaru. "The fuck – they're _dead_ , you fucking killed them – look at them, you fucking tore their heads open, there's no fucking way you can resurrect them!"

In answer, he takes something from who the fuck even knows where, somewhere in the fucking aether hidden in his fucking wings or some shit. Then she sees them. Three phials of something that _glows_ a golden, warm light.

"Phoenix downs," the man says. "Administered before five minutes have passed they'll resurrect anyone from death, no matter what the damage they've taken."

Tayuya opens her mouth and then closes it. Shit. _Shit_. "I'll fucking believe it when I see it," she says nervously.

"Answer my question and you will," the red fucker growls and narrows his glowing eyes. "Where is the blond man he summoned before?"

She swallows, hesitates. "Will you resurrect Orochimaru?" she demands to know.

"No," the man says simply.

Fuck. Fucking piece of fermented _shit_.

"Asshole," she says out loud. "Konoha, he's was in Konoha the last we fucking saw him," she says. "Fucking give them here!"

He doesn't, holding the phials up higher. "And where, precisely, is Konoha?"

"You want a fucking map?!"

"That would be helpful, yes," he says and considers the phials, the bodies all around them. "Time is running out," he adds.

Fucker.

* * *

 

Vincent considers the map the girl had drawn for him. It's a little crude, but it has points of compass, their current location, and the location of this _Konoha_ place, along with some key land marks – a river, a valley, which were apparently almost directly between them and Konoha. She'd gone to length about statues standing there, some historical figures – embellishing her lies or nervously babbling what she thought might appease him.

It's good enough to start with.

"Good," Vincent says and folds the map. Then, as the girl glares at him with yellow eyes, he takes out the phoenix down phials again.

He resurrects the first he'd KO'd first – though there hadn't been much time between shots, every second counts when you're this close to time limit. The heavy set boy's head glows as it comes back together – bits of it still are strung about, of course, but the potion repairs what it can't pull back in. Then, as the boy comes to with terrible coughing fit, Vincent turns to the next, and pours the phoenix down on him.

"What –?"

"Fucking, stay down, fatso, you took a hit," the girl says behind Vincent, where he can hear her going to him, kneeling down beside him.

"He – " the boy says and then falls silent. "Oh my god," he chokes out, as the two headed boy with grey hair is similarly healed, his head wounds glowing as they repair. "Tayuya what happened? Is that – Orochimaru-sama!"

"He's dead," the girl says, and Vincent tunes them out, waiting to see the potion do it's work before turning to the last body, the six armed boy. He too begins to heal.

Well within the time limit, then – or their transformations, for he has no doubt they all have the ability, extend their survivability past normal limits. It's interesting, in a hindsight sort of way. Had Hojo in his world proceeded with demonic research and derivate whatever he'd learned on Vincent to develop something similar…

Well, all the better he hadn't.

Vincent puts the empty phials away and turns to the girl, who is now helping the two headed boy up, explaining what happened to him. The heavy set boy she called _fatso_ is staring up at him warily, his face drawn tight with nervous fear.

They can't be older than fifteen, any of them. At least he'd gotten the kindness of growing up into adulthood before he'd lost his humanity at the knife of a mad scientist.

Vincent runs his tongue over his teeth, smothering the urge to grimace at the feel of them. "Will you be able to manage?" he asks.

"What the _fuck_ is it to you?" the girl snarls at him.

Vincent considers that and then shakes his head. "Very well, then," he says and turns to leave. "Thank you for the map."

They don't call after him.

Probably just as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There is like 95% chance this will end up Cloud/Vincent.

**Author's Note:**

> Yup.  
> 


End file.
